worlds of DAVID BRIN

INFINITY'S SHORE description and bonus information

REFUGEES & RENEGADES & REBELS & RAPSCALLIONS -- AND REALIZATIONS

Those who hunger after wisdom often seek it
in the highest heights, or profound depths.
 
Yet, marvels are found in shallow sites
where life starts, burgeons, and dies.
 
What pinnacle, or lofty mount,
offers lessons as poignant
as the flowing river—
a crashing reef—
or the grave?
 
-- from a Buyur wall inscription,
found half-buried in a marsh
near Far Wet Sanctuary

In the second book in the Uplift Trilogy, Infinity's Shore, it is truly the beginning of the end for the fugitive settlers of Jijo. As starships fill the skies, the threat of genocide hangs over the planet that once peacefully sheltered six bands of sapient beings. Now the human settlers of Jijo and their alien neighbors must make heroic -- and terrifying -- choices.

A scientist must turn against the benefactors she's been trained to love. A heretic must rally believers for a cause he never shared. And four youngsters find that what started as a simple adventure -- imitating exploits in Earthling books by Verne and Twain -- leads them to the dark abyss of mystery. Meanwhile, the Streaker, with her fugitive dolphin crew, arrives at last on Jijo in a desperate search for refuge. What the crew finds instead is a secret hidden since the galaxies first spawned intelligence -- a secret that could mean salvation for the planets and its inhabitants... or their ultimate annihilation.

Exclusive on this site: Read sample chapters from Infinity's Shore.

REVIEWS

"The writing (and presentation) is clean, and the story moves along at a quick pace. The aliens initially seem anthropomorphic, but subtly shift in ones perception into truly alien characters. The only comparable work regarding complex interstellar alien conflict is the excellent Chanur series by C.J. Cherryh. In my opinion, with the exception of "The Uplift War," this series is better.
         "Many hard science fiction books, with the exception of those by Greg Bear and Gregory Benford, fail to connect the cosmic happenings to a believable personal level. This work, and this book, succeed in that endeavor. If you want exciting, thought provoking, and moving hard science fiction with characters you care about, then you should buy this book." -- Amazon.com customer review

"Once again, Brin has created a successful mix of social speculation and hard SF that puts him in the honorable company of such authors as Charles Sheffield and Gregory Benford. Undeniably, this is demanding SF; but just as undeniably, it is superior SF as well." -- Publishers Weekly review

"I suppose you could call this book 'apocalyptic' in the sense that the Sacred Scrolls of the Jijoan sooners have always predicted a 'Judgement Day' from above. Now it's come, and everything is going to hell, because you know what? When starships descend from on high, suddenly all those sacred stanzas just don't quite prepare you for the sheer pants-soiling, hoof-tripping, wheel-blocking, claw-catching terror of the moment." -- Goodreads community review

Uplifting novels

The Uplift Trilogy (Brightness Reef, Infinity's Shore, and Heaven's Reach) continues the stirring saga that began with Sundiver, Startide Rising, and The Uplift War. The entire series is available in paperback and ebook.

I also released a companion to the series. Contacting Aliens: An Illustrated Guide To David Brin's Uplift Universe is a fun tour of the many alien races in the Uplift Universe.

I've posted here short stories based in the Uplift universe. "Aficionado," "Shoresteading," and "The Shelter of Tradition" are now part of my newest novel, Existence (on sale now!). This story details the very beginnings of Earth's Uplift Project. The other, "Temptation," first appeared in Robert Silverberg's anthology Far Horizons and features the adventures of a female dolphin on the faraway world, Jijo, who must escape from two of her own kind and then penetrate a deeply dangerous ancient secret.

See also a page dedicated to the Uplift universe.

COVERS FROM OUTSIDE THE U.S.

Here are a collection of covers for Infinity's Shore from its foreign and foreign-language publications.